David's story
“My number one goal was to be able to attend Geelong footy matches again.”
David is a sports fanatic, social butterfly, and a person living with myotonic dystrophy, a neurological condition.
In the 15 years since David was diagnosed, he went from attending sports and running 100km a week to finding it impossible some days to get out of his chair, let alone the house.
“My number one goal was to be able to attend Geelong footy matches again,” David says. “That’s key for me, because that’s probably my greatest love.”
Returning to the footy would first require tackling mobility and home safety, and MS Support Coordinator Adrian helped David set up his NDIS game plan.
“I had no independence whatsoever without the aids that I’ve got from NDIS,” David says.
“The most important thing of my life is this mobile wheelchair, because it gives me the opportunity to go everywhere I need to go. It’s also got some pretty interesting features – it reclines far enough that it’s actually a bed, and it’ll lift high enough to get top-shelf stuff, so it’s got a range of movements I wasn’t ever expecting.”
With full personal and home care arranged with Adrian’s support coordination, David’s new goals for next year include the possibility of education or part-time work.
But for now he’s enjoying the little wins that for so long he felt he might never enjoy again.
“Going to put my footy tips in at the pub and having a couple of beers with mates, I hadn’t done it in years,” David says.
“My experience is that my life has changed enormously for the better.”
Adrian agrees that David’s wellbeing has been enriched by his renewed connectedness.
“When I first met David, he didn’t really have much contact with a lot of friends anymore," he says. "It’s been really fantastic to watch him, from not being able to get up much to being very socially active."
If you have any impairment that stops you from doing everyday things by yourself, like David does, you might be eligible for insurance support to help you achieve your goals.
If you have any impairment that stops you from doing everyday things by yourself, like David does, you might be eligible for support to help you achieve your goals.Contact MS Connect on 1800 042 138 for more information.